Traffic safety light



Oct. 25, 1949. L. c. EDWARDS TRAFFIC SAFETY LIGHT Filed Feb. 4, 1947FIGURE 2 FIGURE l INVENTOR.

FIGURE 3 LEONARD QEDWARDS ATTEI RN EYE Patented Oct. 25, 1949 ,UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE TRAFFIC SAFETY LIGHT Leonard 0. Edwards, Sapulpa,Okla.

Application February 4, 1947, Serial No. 726,376

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a traffic safety light signal for vehicles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a traffic safetylight signal for use by trucks, buses or other slow moving vehicles todirect traffic which is following the same around it and whereby thetraffic approaching from the rear of the truck or bus will be dulywarned as to when it is safe for. it to pass the truck.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a traffic safety lightsignal for slow moving vehicles which is of simple construction, whichhas a telltale indicator in the cab of the vehicle, which is cheap tomanufacture, and which is eificient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understand- 2 erably located overleft wheels l5 and adjacent to the side of the vehicle around which thevehicle approaching from the rear is to pass. These lights II and I2 areconnected respectively by 5 means of Wires l6 and I1 to telltale pilotlights ing of the invention, reference may be had to the followingdetailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,in which Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken through the switchdevice disposed on the cab dashboard and having telltale pilot lights,

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the switch device taken on line 2-2of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows thereof,

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the rear of a truck on which aredisposed the traflic signals used for warning the traflic which isfollowing it.

On a main highway where there is a great deal of traflic, one oftencomes up behind a heavy loaded or slow moving truck or bus. One keepstrying to get around the same but the oncoming trafiic is so thick thatby the time it is possible to do so other vehicles have come up frombehind. Often times one will follow a truck for several miles beforegetting around it. Truck and bus drivers are instructed to watch thetraffic in the rear as well as in front. According to the presentinvention if the truck driver considers it safe for the vehicle trailinghim to pass, he will so indicate by turning on the green Go light on therear of his truck. If it is not safe for the vehicle to pass he willturn on the red light which is marked with the word Wait. The driverwill use the same signals when he thinks it necessary for instructingthe rear vehicle as to whether it is safe or not to pass on a hill orcurve.

Referring now to the figures, l0 represents a truck on which aredisposed a green Go light II and a red Wait light I2. These lights arein addition to the usual brake or directional lights I3 which areordinarily displayed on the rear of the vehicle. The lights II and I2are prefi8 and 19 mounted in the front of a switch casing 2! having athreaded sleeve portion 22 which is extended through a dashboard 24located in the cab of the truck and retained thereon by a lock nut 25.Also extending into the switch casing is a wire 26 extending from abattery or electrical source 21. This Wire is connected to contacts 28and 29 adapted to be engaged by a switch element or contact bar 3| as itis actuated by an operating arm or lever 32 extending from the front ofthe casing 2i and pivoted as indicated at 33 to a bracket 34 thereon.Adjacent the contact 29 is a contact 35 connected with the red light l9.Adjacent the contact 28 is a contact 36 connected with the green light.As the operating arm 32 is swung to the up position as indicated indotted lines at 31 the contact terminals 28 and 36 are bridged by theswitch element 3| whereby current will be delivered from the battery 21to the green lights H and [8. If the operating arm 32 is moved down to adotted line position 38, the contact terminals 29 and 35 are bridged andcurrent will be delivered to the red lights I2 and [9 to issue a warningor Wait signal. The lights are grounded in the casing and as thecontacts are bridged a circuit is completed from the battery through thewire 26, through the contacts, and through a short wire to the light,the opposie terminals of the light and battery being grounded. The carsin rear of the truck should not pass when these signals are on. When thetruck driver determines that it is safe for the vehicles from behind topass, he

will flip the operating handle upwardly to the 1 green light position.When he has no use for' the lights and there is no traffic in rear ofhim he will locate the handle 32 in a neutral position so that theswitch element 3| will be out of engagement with the contacts.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

In a pilot light for motor vehicle signals, the combination whichcomprises an elongated vertically disposed casing having upper and lowerlights therein and having means thereon for mounting the casing on aninstrument panel of a motor vehicle, said casing having a slot in theface thereof positioned between the said lights, a pair of contactspositioned in the casing with one contact of one of said pairs connectedto a terminal of one of the lights of the casing and.

with a contact of the other of said pairs connected to a terminal of theother of said lights, means connecting the other contacts of each ofsaid pairs of contacts to a battery with the other contact of thebattery ground to the casing and one contact of each of said lightsgrounded to the casing, a lever extended through the slot in the face ofthe casing and pivotally mounted in the casing, and a contact barcarried by the inner end of the lever and positioned to bridge either ofsaid pairs of contacts alternately for completing circuits to the saidupper and lower lights of the casing alternately.

LEONARD C. EDWARDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

